Guitar-steel.



B. N. CAMPTQN; GUITAR STEEL.

APPUCATION mm mm. 7, 19 8.

1,280,959. Patented Oct. 8, 1918.

JNVEN TOR.

BERTRAM N. CAMPTON, OF TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA.

GUITAR-STEEL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed March 7, 1918. Serial No. 220,966.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, BERTRAM N. CAMITON, of the city of Toronto, in the county of York, Province, of Ontario, Canada, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Guitar-Steels, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to what are frequently termed as guitar steels, which are devices used with the hand in stopping the strings of an ordinary guitar to give the tone quality of a Hawaiian guitar, and my object is to provide a device of this kind which is easily handled and controlled at all times, which can be more easily and certainly positioned when moving from string to string when running down the scale, and which may be used to effectively mufile unde sired vibrations of the strings which muflling at present must be effected with the fingers.

I attain my object by means of the constructions hereinafter described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which- Figure 1 is a rear elevation of the device;

Fig. 2 an end elevation; and

Fig. 3 a plan View.

In the drawings like numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in the different figures.

1 is a metal bar, preferably of steel, which will usually be approximatel 34 long, deep and 3;" thick. The lower edge is straight from end to end, but is preferably curved in cross section as shown in Fig. 2, so that it will have line contact with the strings of the guitar when pressed against them.

The left hand end of the device, looking from the rear thereof, is inclined or beveled as shown, preferably at an angle of about 45. The two right hand corners and the upper left hand corner of the bar are preferably rounded as shown. To the up er edge of the device is secured a ring 2, t e inner surface of which is preferably curved in cross section to prevent its cutting the finger which is assed through the ring. This ring is secured to the bar by means of a screw 3 so that the ring may rotate so that it may take any desired angle to the length of the bar, this ad ustment taking place on an axis substantially perpendicular to the lower edge of the bar. Preferably the ring is tilted slightly so that the anus on which it rotates does not lie in the median plane of the ring. This is clearly shown in Fig. 1.

A strip 4 of felt or other suitable material or fabric is secured to the back of the bar by means of a metal strip 5 secured in place by screws 6. The lower edge of this felt strip extends slightly below the lower edge of the bar so that when the lower edge of the bar is in contact with the strings of a guitar the felt strip is in close contact with the strings behind the bar. It is evident that the closeness of the contact of the felt strip with the strings can be varied by rocking the bar on its lower edge.

The invention is used by placing the forefinger of the left hand through the ring and with the thumb and fingers the bar itself may be turned upon the ring as may be necessary. The ring, serving as a connection with the users hand, makes the operation of the device verv easy.

The device is applied to the strings transversely thereof either between or immediately over the frets and by moving it in the direction of itslength one or more strings may be left entirely free of contact therewith. The beveling of the end of the device makes it easy at any time to see the position of the forward end of the lower edge of the bar relative to the strings. The mufiier makes it unnecessary to use the fingers to silence the parts of the strings behind the point of engagement with the bar.

What I claim as my invention is 1. A tone changing device for guitars and the like comprising a short metal bar of less thickness than depth and provided with a straight lower edge and having an expansible finger ring secured to the opposite or upper edge.

2. A tone changing device for guitars and the like comprising a short metal bar of less thickness than depth and provided with a straight lower edge and having a finger ring secured to the opposite or upper edge by a single screw so as to be rotatable on an axis perpendicular to the lower edge of the bar.

3. A tone changing device for guitars and the like comprising a short metal bar of less thickness than depth and provided with a straight lower edge and. having a finger ring secured to the opposite or upper edge by a s ngle screw so as to be rotatable on an axis perpendicular to the lower edge of the bar, the said ring being tilted so that the axis on Patented Oct. 8, 1918.

which it rotates does not lie in the median plane of the ring.

4. A tone changing device for guitars and the like comprising a short metal bar of less thickness than depth and provided with a straight lower edge and having an expansible finger ring secured to the opposite or upper edge by a single screw so as to be rotatable on an axis perpendicular to the lower edge of the bar, the said ring being tilted so that the axis on which it rotates does not lie in the median plane of the ring.

5. A tone changing device for guitars and the like comprising a short metal bar of less thickness than depth and provided with a 15 straight lower edge, and having a strip of felt secured to its back projecting slightly below said lower edge.

6. A tone changing device for guitars and the like comprising a short metal bar of less 20 thickness than de )th and provided with a. straight lower edge rounded in cross section, and having a strip of felt secured to its back projecting slightly below said lower edge.

Signed at Toronto, Canada, this 25th day 25 of Feb. 1918. r

BERTRAM N. CAMPTON.

Copies, of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner 01 Intent,

Washington, I). C. I i 

